Henri de Carentan

Henri de Carentan (19 June 1598-22 April 1638) was a nobleman of the Kingdom of France who was a favourite of King Louis XIII of France. He led French forces in the War of the Mantuan Succession and the Thirty Years War. Carentan was killed in the Battle of Beckingen.

Biography
Henri de Carentan was the son of Louis de Carentan and Marie Anne de Joyeuse, and was educated in music as well as the art of war. He rose to become a courtier in Paris and eventually one of King Louis XIII of France's favourites, as he played the lute, and was also well-versed in English, French, and Latin poetry.

In 1630, he was appointed to lead an army in the conquest of Mantua from the Spanish Empire, assisting French-backed Italian states in the War of the Mantuan Succession. He fought in the Siege of Casale-Montferrato, and fell ill, but recovered back home in Paris. By the time he had recuperated, the war had ended.

Six years later, when France declared war on the Spanish Empire and Holy Roman Empire to join in the Thirty Years War, he became a general once more. Carentan defeated Spanish forces in the Battle of Montdidier on 11 May 1636 and captured Ham on 21 June, repulsing Spain's invasion. His skills in the defense of France proved to be his opportunity for promotion; in 1638, King Louis XIII dspatched him and an army of 12,000 troops to take over Imperial territories along the Rhine.

Carentan's army made it to Beckingen by 22 April, but was encountered by Heinrich von Dassel's Imperial army. The Germans, with 15,000 troops, formed tercios and held off the French cavalry attacks. Carentan, leading the assault on his horse, was speared in the face and died of his wounds.